The Second Year
This second year we did things differently after learning the kid’s different preferences. One child liked working on the computer for math, one didn't mind typing up everything, one can’t sit still for more than 20 mins…etc.
This time we didn’t use Time4Learning because my 4th grader felt it was too “kiddish” with the cartoons in the lessons. She was ready for something else that could teach her differently.
For language arts this year we tried out Night Zookeeper. Honestly, we only used it for a couple months before deciding that we would just do our own writing practice. Instead, we wrote up scripts for stop-motion videos and other creative tasks. We also decided to learn some Spanish using a couple games. Learning how to spell & learn using mnemonics was a big help this year, and boy did they come up with some creative ones! As usual, we read lots of books together. My favorite book we read together was Little House In The Big Woods because we took a new porcelain character from the box every couple chapters. Those dolls were given to me when I was young by my Nana who loved that series. See our reading list here.
For math I bought the printed 2nd grade books from Beast Academy because I thought it would be a fun change, but the kids didn't like it as much as I did. They tinkered around occasionally in Prodigy still to practice. Teaching Textbooks was our online resource this year to help introduce and practice. I bought the printed 2nd grade books only. We tried to use fun games like break-out boxes/puzzles and snacks for learning. Lots of measuring for recipes helped to understand fractions and sizes. Building with Legos and other resources incorporated shapes (and lots of communication).
Science is always easy for us to incorporate. We researched a new pet to care for and decided on Mr. Nibbles the hamster. We took trips to the local parks. KiwiCo kits were built in connection with topical themes.
Social Studies included learning about early settlers and the colonies. We played the new version of The Oregon Trail.
After this year I’ve learned the following:
I would absolutely homeschool again if the kids felt like they wanted to. The public school would really have to be a problem though for me to decide that since I want them to have the social experiences that it allows. I would much rather provide supplementary learning at home in places needed, which is easy to inject during weekend adventures or breaks.
I would not pay for any subscription services for homeschooling in the future. I can do a lot with YouTube and shows/documentaries on the services we already have for entertainment.
